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Quick Hits: Stephenson, Meneses, Oakland

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Tyler Stephenson was one of the bright spots of a tepid Reds offense that contributed to them finishing 62-100 and securing their first 100-loss season since 1982. The trouble was the Reds only called upon Stephenson in 50 games last year, and getting a full season out of their young catcher will be a huge boost to their lineup in 2023 and beyond.

As Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports, the Reds are looking to utilize Stephenson in 140-150 games in 2023, but the majority of those appearances could come at designated hitter to try and protect his body from the rigors of catching. He did, after all, hit .319/.372/.482 with six home runs across 183 plate appearances so it’s no surprise that the Reds are trying to figure out the best way to get a full season’s worth of that offense.

The Reds have signed Curt Casali and Luke Maile to their roster and plan to carry three catchers throughout 2023, and Nightengale writes that the team could look to use Stephenson as a catcher twice a week, which would equate to 54 games over the course of the season, with Casali and Maile handling the rest.

Here’s some more bits and pieces from around baseball:

  • Joey Meneses was a revelation for the rebuilding Nationals in 2022, slashing .324/.367/.563 with 13 home runs over 240 plate appearances in his age-30 rookie campaign. As the Talk Nats podcast revealed, the Nats tried to sign Meneses after the 2019 season but he opted to go to Japan instead. At the time, Japan was likely a far more financially appealing option for Meneses given he would’ve been looking at another minor league deal had he stayed in the States.
  • The A’s are planning to use Jesus Aguilar at both first base and designated hitter in 2023, general manager David Forst told reporters, including Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. Aguilar appeared in 63 games at first and 60 at DH last year for the Marlins and Orioles, and it seems likely he’ll have a similar split this year. The 32-year-old had a disappointing 2022, slashing just .235/.281/.379 with 16 home runs over 507 plate appearances. He’d been a productive hitter for a few years prior though, and that was enough for Oakland to give him a one-year, $3MM deal for 2023. The rebuilding A’s will surely be hoping for a rebound at the plate so Aguilar can turn himself into a valuable trade chip at the deadline.
  • Sticking with the A’s, and Forst says Paul Blackburn and James Kaprielian have both progressed well in their rehab and should be ready for spring training. “I think it’s reasonable to expect both guys to be ready to go,” Forst said (Twitter link). Both players figure to be part of Oakland’s rotation this year. Blackburn, 29, pitched in 21 games last year and worked to a 4.28 ERA over 111 1/3 innings, striking out batters at a 19.1% clip against a 6.4% walk rate. He was a productive pitcher for the first three months of the season and earned his first All Star game callup. He was shelled for 21 runs over 14 1/3 innings while pitching through pain in his pitching hand before he ultimately went on the injured list. That pain ballooned out his ERA a bit and wound up ending his season, so it’ll be interesting to see if Blackburn can rediscover his early season form in 2023. He’ll earn $1.9MM in his first year of arbitration. Kaprielian threw 134 innings of 4.23 ERA ball in 2022, but underwent shoulder surgery in the off-season to repair his AC joint. His rotation spot is probably a little less secure than Blackburn’s, but the trade of Cole Irvin opens up another spot and if healthy he seems likely to at least start the year in the rotation alongside Blackburn, Drew Rucinski and Shintaro Fujinami.

Injury Notes: Kirilloff, Maeda, Ahmed

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Twins first baseman/outfielder Alex Kirilloff started swinging a bat earlier this month, and is currently taking 50-60 swings a day according to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. Kirilloff underwent season-ending wrist surgery in August last year.

Kirilloff has long battled wrist injuries, landing on the IL four times for that reason since making his big league debut in 2021. The once highly touted prospect hasn’t hit much in his time in the majors, compiling a combined .251/.295/.398 line with 11 home runs over 387 plate appearances. That’s a disappointing return for a bat-first player, although it is fair to wonder just how much these wrist issues have hampered his output even when he’s been on the active roster.

The Twins have a crowded outfield picture at the moment, particularly after acquiring Michael A. Taylor from the Royals, but the trade of Luis Arraez has seemingly opened up first base for Kirilloff. Given the injuries and output to date, there’s quite a bit of risk in relying on the 25-year-old as the primary first baseman, but there’s also significant upside too. Kirilloff was one of the top prospects in baseball before reaching the big leagues, and if he can show he’s past his wrist issues and unlock some of his potential that Twins could find themselves with a valuable middle-of-the-order bat.

Here’s some other notes from around the league:

  • Sticking with the Twins to begin with, starter Kenta Maeda is set for a normal spring training with no restrictions, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. Maeda missed the entire 2022 season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. Maeda, 35 in April, is entering the final year of his contract and set to earn a modest $3MM salary. Given he underwent internal brace TJ surgery which typically requires a slightly shorter recovery time, and there had initially been hope that Maeda would be available towards the backend of last season, it’s not a huge surprise that he’s shaping up nicely for 2023. Maeda’s most recent sample of work came in 2021, when he worked to a 4.66 ERA over 21 starts.
  • As he works his way back from shoulder surgery, Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed has begun hitting and throwing, per Nick Piecoro of AZ Central. Piecoro adds that Ahmed is not expected to have any restrictions by the time spring training rolls around. Having been hampered by shoulder problems for the past few years, Ahmed underwent season-ending surgery in June last year having been restricted to just 17 games in 2022. Ahmed has never been a huge threat at the plate, but has been one of the game’s best defenders at shortstop, amassing 154 Outs Above Average since 2016, trailing only Francisco Lindor’s 161 for best in baseball in that timeframe. Ahmed, 33 in March, is entering the final year of his contract and will take home a $10.375MM payday in 2023.

Marlins “Moving Toward” Deal With Yuli Gurriel, Twins Also Involved

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The Marlins are “moving toward” a deal with free agent Yuli Gurriel, according to Mark Feinsand and Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. No deal has been finalized yet, and Miami isn’t the only club involved, as Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extra Base reports that the Twins are also in on Gurriel.

The Marlins had been the only previously reported team interested in the former Astro, so it’s no surprise that they’re front and center as Gurriel’s market heats up a bit. Miami and Minnesota just joined forces on a trade this week that sent Luis Arraez to South Beach, the Marlins are planning to deploy Arraez at second base (moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. to center fielder), thus leaving some room for Gurriel to help out at first base. Of course, Garrett Cooper is Miami’s incumbent first baseman, and both he and Gurriel are right-handed hitters, making for a less-than-ideal platoon fit. Jorge Soler is another right-handed bat who looks to be the first choice at DH, leaving fewer at-bats for manager Skip Schumaker to potentially find for Gurriel.

In terms of pure playing-time fit, the Twins might be a better option for Gurriel, as the left-handed hitting Alex Kirilloff looks to be moving into first base duty and Minnesota doesn’t have a set designated hitter. Of course, any number of factors could be impacting Gurriel’s ongoing decision process about choosing his next team, including the fact that Gurriel has a home in Miami.

Gurriel hit free agency this winter after seven seasons in Houston. The 38-year-old had some very strong seasons with the Astros, but his production dipped off significantly in 2022. Last year, he hit just .242/.288/.360 with eight home runs over 584 plate appearances. That was good for a wRC+ of just 85, about 15 percent below average and well down from the 132 mark he put up just a year prior. There also wasn’t much to like about Gurriel’s Statcast numbers, apart from the fact that he remains one of baseball’s tougher hitters to strike out.

At Gurriel’s age, a sudden dropoff in productivity isn’t unexpected, yet his 2021 success is still so fresh that the Marlins, Twins, or perhaps other teams might think a rebound is still possible. In regards to the Fish, Gurriel’s ability to avoid strikeouts is a valued skill for a club that went into the winter looking to add contact hitting, with the Arraez trade standing out as how the Marlins are trying to achieve that goal.

Astros Notes: Catching, Brantley, Gurriel

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The defending champion Astros could be set to go with internal options alongside veteran Martin Maldonado behind the plate. As a report from Brian McTaggart of MLB.com suggests, the Astros had looked into the possibility of bringing in an external backstop to replace the retired Jason Castro and departed Christian Vazquez, but now may just let one of their young catchers backup Maldonado.

With the popular Maldonado the team’s top backstop, prospects Korey Lee and Yainer Diaz could battle it out in the spring for the big league backup job. Lee was the team’s first round pick back in 2019 and made it onto Baseball America’s Top 100 list before last season. He got some time in the big leagues last year, going 4-for-25 in 12 games. Lee mashed 25 homers on the way to a .238/.307/.483 line at Triple-A, where he spent the bulk of the 2022 season.

Diaz, 24, is known for his big bat and slashed .306/.356/.542 with 25 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A last season, his first with the Astros after coming over in the Myles Straw deal with Cleveland. Diaz, too, got a callup to the big leagues last season, picking up a double and a walk in nine plate appearances. While both Lee and Diaz have upside, McTaggart speculates that Diaz’ bat could give him the edge over Lee initially, as the team could play him at DH and first-base as well.

Here’s some other bits and pieces from the Astros:

  • Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle relays that the expectation is that Michael Brantley will be ready for Opening Day. The Astros re-signed Brantley to a one-year, $12MM deal just before Christmas. The 35-year-old was a productive hitter for the Astros last year, slashing .288/.370/.416 before going on the injured list in late June with a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery. Brantley is no stranger to injury problems, but has been a highly effective hitter when fit, as evidenced by his .306/.365/.462 line since 2017. The Astros will hope he can return fully fit in 2023 and provide more valuable offense as they look to defend their title.
  • Astros great and front office member Jeff Bagwell offered some insight into whether or not the team has any interest in bringing back Yuli Gurriel. The 38-year-old is a free agent after playing seven seasons with the Astros. He had some strong seasons in Houston, but his production dipped last year and he wound up hitting just .242/.288/.360 with eight home runs over 584 plate appearances. The Marlins are the only reported team to have made contact with Gurriel, but it seems the Astros aren’t closing the door on bringing him back. “There’s nobody that loves Yuli more than us, myself, Jim (Crane), Dusty (Baker), everybody. It’s just trying to find the right fit for the club. He’s a huge part of our success here. We’ll continue to monitor that situation,” Bagwell said (via McTaggart).

Trevor Story Confident He’ll Play In 2023

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The Red Sox were dealt a major blow this month when it was revealed star infielder Trevor Story would require an internal brace procedure to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom did not give a timeline, and indicated that having Story available in 2023 was not something that they “want to bank on.” Given the departure of Xander Bogaerts in free agency and Story’s expected move over to shortstop, that looked to be a brutal blow to Boston’s chances this season.

Things have taken a slightly more positive turn today though, with Story telling reporters (including Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe) that he believes he’ll play this season. To what extent Story can get himself involved remains to be seen, and there’s still no timeline in place for his recovery, but at the very least it’s a more upbeat outlook than Bloom’s.

Story experienced discomfort last month when he was ramping up his off-season program. That was after feeling fine for all of November and a good chunk of December. Abraham relays that Story was able to avoid Tommy John surgery on the elbow, as it’s just a partial tear.

The Red Sox will likely turn to Enrique Hernandez to handle Story’s reps at shortstop until he can return, particularly after boosting their outfield stocks with the signing of Adam Duvall. Bloom indicated recently that the team could still pursue a middle infield addition, and the Sox have been loosely tied to remaining free agents Josh Harrison and Elvis Andrus recently, but it seems the internal option of Hernandez and Christian Arroyo up the middle is the favorite.

Dodgers To Sign Tyler Cyr To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have agreed to a deal to sign right hander Tyler Cyr, according to Robert Murray of Fansided. It’ll be a minor league deal and comes with an invite to big league spring training, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

Cyr, 30 in May, split time last season between the Phillies and A’s. He put up promising numbers in Oakland in a short sample size, tossing 13 innings of 2.08 ERA ball in relief. Those numbers came with a quality 30.8% strikeout rate alongside a 9.6% walk rate. He also made one appearances for the Phillies, giving up a home run in 1/3 of an inning of work.

Cyr was drafted by the Giants in the tenth round of the 2015 draft. He had some solid numbers coming up as a reliever in San Francisco’s system, but never got a crack in the big leagues and was granted minor league free agency at the end of the 2021 season. The Phillies gave him a minor league deal, and he worked to a 2.50 ERA in 36 innings of work for their Triple-A affiliate, earning his first big league callup. His time with the Phillies was short lived, and he was DFA’d after that three batter stint.

Oakland landed him on waivers and he put in a strong finish to the season. Oakland designated him for assignment when they made the signing of Shintaro Fujinami official. While the numbers during his time in Oakland were promising, control is an issue, and the 9.1% walk rate he displayed in the big leagues this year was the first time it’d been a single digit figure since Double-A in 2017.

Cyr throws a mid-90s fastball and mixes in a cutter and changeup. He still has a full slate of options and under one year of service time, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Dodgers call on Cyr at some point in 2023 given the inevitable churn of relief pitching over a long season.

White Sox Add Mike Morin On Minor League Deal

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The White Sox have added some pitching depth, signing right hander Mike Morin to a minor league deal, per his MLB transaction page.

Morin, 31, hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since a 2020 stint with the Marlins, having spent the past season in independent ball. For Kane County, Morin tossed 13 2/3 innings of 5.27 ERA ball.

Originally drafted by the Angels in the 13th round of the 2012 draft, Morin rose through LA’s system and made his debut in 2014. He looked like a quality reliever that year, tossing 59 innings of 2.90 ERA ball with strong peripherals.

He put up even better peripherals the following year, boosting his strikeout rate and lowering his walk rate, but wound up with a 6.37 ERA over 35 1/3 innings. The Angels would continue to use him in their bullpen until 2017, when he started bouncing round the league a bit on the waiver wire, appearing in games for the Royals, Mariners, Twins, Phillies and Marlins over the next few years.

All told, Morin’s compiled a 4.57 ERA over 228 2/3 big league innings. He throws a low-90s fastball and mixes in a slider and changeup.

Royals Sign Johan Camargo To Minor League Deal

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The Royals signed Johan Camargo to a minor league, the team announced. Though the team hasn’t announced it, the deal presumably comes with an invite to big league spring training camp.

Camargo, 29, spent the past season with the Phillies, tallying 166 plate appearances over 52 games after initially joining on a minor league pact. He hit three home runs and put up a .237/.297/.316 line.

Camargo had a couple of productive seasons for the Braves after being called up for the first time in 2017. During 2017-18, he hit 23 home runs and put up a wRC+ of 110 over 780 plate appearances. Combined with some strong defense at third base, Camargo put up 4.6 fWAR in those first two seasons in Atlanta and looked to be establishing himself as a valuable contributor for the Braves.

His production fell off considerably from 2019, and since then he’s put up a well below-average wRC+ of just 66, 34 percent below the league average. Camargo was mostly used as a shortstop by the Phillies, and has appeared at other infield and outfield spots over his career, but generally grades out best at third.

 

Rockies Sign Harold Castro To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies have landed infielder Harold Castro on a minor league deal, MLBTR can confirm. The move was first reported by Efrain Zavarce of IVC Networks. The deal comes with an invite to major league spring training. Castro is represented by the MAS+ Agency.

Castro, 29, put up a .271/.300/.381 line with seven home runs over 443 plate appearances for the Tigers last year, good for a wRC+ of 94, or a bit below league average. Castro is a utility player in every sense of the word, and appeared at every position bar catcher and right field in 2022. The bulk of that work was logged in the infield, with a fairly even split around the four positions.

Originally signed by the Tigers back in 2011 out of Venezuela, Castro had spent his entire career with the organization. He debuted with a ten plate appearance cup of coffee in 2018, and went on to appear in 351 games for the Tigers over the next five seasons, putting up a combined .284/.309/.377 line with 15 home runs in that time.

Castro should compete for a bench spot in spring, and would seem to have a decent chance of making the roster. Elehuris Montero can cover the corner infield spots, but the Rockies don’t currently have a clear backup for rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar.

John Angelos Hopes Orioles’ Payroll Can Return To Top Half Of League

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The Orioles have been mired in a lengthy rebuild for a number of years now, but as the team shows signs of a return to competitiveness there come the inevitable questions about how far a team is willing to bump payroll to maximize their window.

In 2022, the team’s opening day payroll was the lowest in all of baseball, the fourth straight year it ranked in the bottom five in the league, according to Cot’s Baseball. Of course, Baltimore was deep in a rebuild during that time and not focused on adding significant contracts. Yet as the team returns to relevance on the heels of an 83-79 2022 season, O’s fans would rightfully hope the team would be prepared to bump payroll to supplement their exciting young core.

“I’d love to be sitting in New York with $300 million payrolls. You’ve got to build it like any small, medium or large business. It’s cyclical, and then you hope that you can continue to feed that cycle, and I think we will be able to [return to the top half of the league],” Orioles CEO and chairman John Angelos said on 105.7 The Fan (via the Baltimore Sun).

History would suggest that the Orioles will do just that. Between 2011-18 the team regularly sat in the middle-to-upper part of the league in terms of payroll, a period in which the team made three playoff appearances out of the competitive AL East. That saw Opening Day payroll rise as high as $164MM in 2017, around four times as high as their Opening Day figure last season.

The team certainly has room to add payroll, yet it’s been a largely quiet winter for Baltimore. They’ve signed veteran starter Kyle Gibson to a one-year, $10MM deal, infielder Adam Frazier for $8MM and reliever Mychal Givens for $5MM. Those modest additions leave them on track for a 2023 payroll of $63MM, according to Fangraphs, that would have it on track to be the second lowest in baseball, per Cot’s.

Orioles fans would have every right to be a bit frustrated by that. GM Mike Elias says the team is still pursuing upgrades and would like to add another starter, according to the Baltimore Sun.

“We had some very close opportunities where it just went in a different direction,” Elias said. “We’ve been talking to everybody, there’s nothing imminent as of this afternoon, but that changes with sort of one text, one phone call sometimes. We really like our team. We see areas where we can get better, and we’re trying to pursue those players, but there’s competition out there.”

With the free agent market largely thinned out, it does appear that the trade market would be Baltimore’s avenue to any upgrades. The Orioles have one of the top farm systems in all of baseball, including eight players on Baseball America’s recently released Top 100 list, so do have a number of prospects that could be used to get a deal done. Of course, a number of those players will be viewed as long term building blocks in Baltimore, but the team could tap into their prospect wealth to put themselves in a better position to compete in 2023.

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